The ADSD "Holidays at Home" Blog Train has ARRIVED

The ADSD December Colab is here. Hop on the train to collect TONS of freebies. The Designers have come up with their own color palettes this time to reflect what the Holidays mean to them. You will get a huge variety of Christmas fun.

I chose a color palette of blues and reds with a hint of green nd some silver glitter.
Here are my contributions to the kit.

I hope everyone enjoys my Holiday gift to you and have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Download the Paterned Papers Here

Download the Element Pack Here

Download the Glitter Alpha Here

Download the Chipboard Alpha Here

Download the Solid Paper Pack Here

Now hop on the train to grab of the rest of this gorgeos freebie colaboration.


Adele of Blind Sight Designs
Adventures in Scrapland
Amanda of Amandas Scrappy Creations
Amie of Amiebear
Beaconscrap
Beckmoores Scrapalittle
Bits'N'Bobs
Bouquet of Pixels
Brooke at Ahhh Scrap
Busyscrappin
CMB Designs
Creative Digital Scraps by Chiara
Deanna at Flower Scraps
DesignsByAmilyn
Digital Keepsakes
Doodle Designs
Elemental Pixie
EmCee Scraps
Erika {aka PinkuPixie}
HeatherStokes at HSDesigns YOU ARE HERE
Jayden's Mama
Jessie
JIC Creations
Just Another Scrap
Kathy Goldstein
KittenScraps
Lei at Fairydustprincess-Magicmaker
Linda at Linda's Dream Designs
Lynn of Heavenly Crafts
Lynn at TMA
MagsGraphics
Manda at Disaster in Designs
Mariscrap
Merrilee Wheaton Designs
MsBhvin Scraps
My Little Corner of the World
Oase Panda Bear Designs
Pamela Yates at Pammy's Playground
Rachness
Scrapping with Jen
Shabby Tagger
Shel at Shel Belle Scraps
Stacy at Kalo Designs
Teri at Teris Thing-O-My-Jigs
Wendi at Willow Grace Designs
WillowRaven at Purple Dragonfly Creations
Becky at Beckys Scrap
EmCee Scraps

Thanks for stoppin By - I would love your comments and thoughts on this.

Happy Holidays

Dylan's Video Message from Santa

This is so COOL.

On DisneyFamily.com you can create a photo video of your child's picture for FREE. Take a look at Dylan's and then go and create one for yourself. I can't WAIT to show this to Dylan. He is going to LOVE this.

Just click HERE to see Dylan's video and then HERE to go make one of your own.

FREE SHIPPING AT Toys R Us

Spend $25.00 and get FREE SHIPPING.
LOVE THIS - I don't have to go out into that CRAZY madness on Black Friday - I can shop fr om the peace and quiet of my home (in my JAMMIES) Woo Hoooooo


Click picture to go to Toys R US
Have fun SHOPPING!!!

My Big Boy

Dylan had his very first SCHOOL photos taken last month - He looks more like a second grader than a preschooler. He is growing up SO FAST!

WINNERS - Pilsbury "Home is calling" Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS

Random.org has helped me select three of your comments at random, and I am happy to announce the following are the three lucky winners. I will be emailing you to get the address you would like your Pillsbury prize kit sent to - so be on the lookout.

Here are our winners, and what they had to say about Dinners at home...

3.

quitecontrary1977 said...

My favorite part of meal time is when everyone pats their full tummies ,and tells me how great a cook I am!

November 17, 2008 8:27 PM

12.
said... (CAROL MIXON)

My favorite recipe has been mentioned several times..... smokies wrapped in the rolls! Wonderful appetizer.

My favorite part of meal time is having my loving family there to enjoy being together and the good meal I have prepared.

November 18, 2008 2:30 PM

15.

Savvy Saving Momma said...

Great Giveaway!!
My favorite recipe is from Pampered Chef called Chicken Dilly Ring. It is delish!!

November 18, 2008 4:26 PM

THANK YOU to everyone who participated. Be on the lookout for another GREAT Giveaway coming soon courtesy of MyBlogSpark.

MAYA ANGELOU'S BEST POEM EVER

A very dear friend of mine named Karyn sent this poem to my email today. It just reminds you to be true to YOU! I love it and thought I would share it here.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

eight matching plates,
wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

a feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to fall in love without losing herself.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month... and a year...

Disney Store Online - 25 % Off Site-Wide

The Disney Store online is holding a holiday promotion good through FRIDAY for 25% off anything in the store. WOO HOO - as an added bonus if you spend over $75.00 you get FREE shipping.

Just click the AD below to go to the sale.

20 Holiday Photo Cards for 20 CENTS

That's right - 20 CENTS - You can snatch this offer up by clicking the AD below - All you pay is the 20 cents plus shipping and handling.

HURRY - Offer ends November 23rd

I have just stumbled upon Tip Junkie's Mom-Preneur Shop-Athon Giveaway and every day for twelve days she is giving away FABULOUS gifts and prizes. Today I am hoping for this GORGEOUS holiday decoration from Sign Me Up Signs or a matching clipboard gift set. WOO HOO


So hop on over to the Tip Junky Blog yourself and enter to win this and other fabulous prizes. Happy Holidays!

Be sure to check out the Mom-Preneur Shop-Athon going on as well to help support Women and other Bloggers too. All products are created by Women - Toodle-ooooo...Off to do some SHOPPING!

Pillsbury "Home is calling" Giveaway

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED : I am taking no further entries. I will be announcing the winners today!

I am participating in a fabulous new program called MyBlogSpark where I get to try out products, pass on the fabulous information to you - my wonderful readers, and even give YOU a chance to win these great products for yourself.

Today I was so excited to receive a Pillsbury Home is Calling™ gift basket. The basket includes a coupon for Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls, a magnetic coupon holder, a house-shaped mouse pad, pot holders, a cookie sheet, a bread basket and a loveable Pillsbury Doughboy figurine. This little Doughboy is so adorable - I had to PRY it out of my Son's little hands before he could snatch it up for himself...lol


And the best news is that I get to give away THREE of these gift baskets to YOU my lucky readers, and all you have to do is post a comment here and tell me what is your FAVORITE Pillsbury recipe OR tell me a little bit about your favorite part of Family meals. It is THAT easy.

I thought I would share one of MY favorite Pillsbury recipes here with you - using the fabulous crescent rolls that you will receive a coupon for.

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares
by Doris CastleTender crescents wrap around a creamy chicken filling in a hot sandwich that took top honors in the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest.

INGREDIENTS

1	package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1	tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
2	cups cubed cooked chicken
1	tablespoon chopped fresh chives or onion
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/8	teaspoon pepper
2	tablespoons milk
1	tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired
1	can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1	tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
3/4	cup seasoned croutons, crushed

DIRECTIONS

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; beat until smooth. Stir in chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well.
2.	If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.
3.	Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with crushed croutons.
4.	Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 27 to 32 minutes.

You can find this and many more wonderful recipes HERE on the Pillsbury website.

I would also like you to let you know that Pillsbury is sharing the warmth of home this holiday season by helping stock America’s food banks. Isn't that GREAT!

Visit
http://www.pillsbury.com/HomeIsCalling/Default.aspx?WT.mc_id=partner_blogs_hic
to view the new Home is Calling campaign, which reminds us of how we
all look forward to getting home at the end of the day to reconnect with
loved ones. And of course we also think about the aroma of something
irresistibly warm and delicious baking at home! When you forward along the link to friends and family from the web site, Pillsbury will make a donation to help deliver more than one pound of groceries to America’s food banks!

I would like to thank both Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark for letting me participate in this wonderful give-away.

Comment away -
I can't wait to hear your favorite recipes, or stories about Family Dinners. Make sure to leave your email address so that I can email you for address information when I announce the winners on Friday November 21st.

Better late than never....

Sorry I was such a slacker and could not get my sh*t together to get my portion of the ADSD November "After Dusk" colab up in time, but I did make a few things and so I thought I would go ahead and post what I head and then start over with a clean slate for the December ADSD "Holidays at Home" Colab.

So here you go - just a few things that you can add to the rest of the ladies fabulous contributions. ENJOY

And in case you missed any of these links here is the list again....

abyscraps by Sheila
Adele of Blind Sight Designs
Anne at Creative Dreams
Arvita's at Elam's Flights Of Fancy
Becky
Brooke at Ahhh Scrap
by God's design
Carolyn at Digi Cyber Scraps
CharmeDivaScrapz
Chiara at Creative Digital Scraps
http://harley310.blogspot.com/
Cyndi, Wetfish Designs
Deanna at Flower Scraps
Deb AKA The ScrappinCop
Debbie at Digital Keepsakes
Diana at Sass n Scrap Designs
Erika {aka PinkuPixie}
Florrie
HeatherStokes ~ HSDesigns
jeanniebs designs
Julia at BeaconScrap
Julie aka Bits 'N' Bobs
Kathy Goldstein at The Scrap Loft
KittenScraps
Lady V dZine
Lei at Fairydustprincess-magicmaker
Lindas Dream Designs
Lois at ScrappinwithLadye
Lori at ScripityScrapDesigns
Lynn at Heavenly Crafts
lynnirene
Mags at MagsGraphics
Manda at Disaster In Designs
Marie at EmCee Scraps
melanie aka sweetasmel
http://www.michelles-angels.blogspot.com/
http://digitalfunplace.blogspot.com/
http://misstykaldesigns.blogspot.com/
Nicole at Digi-Designs by Nicole
Oase
RachNess
Scraping with Jen
ScrappyShannon
Shabby Tagger
Shel at Shel Belle Scraps
Stacy at Kalo Designs
Sticky Kisses Scraps
Teri At Teris-Thing-O-My-Jigs
TerresaS
Wendi at Willow Grace Designs
WillowRaven at Purple Dragonfly Creations

Catch that Train

Jump on the train - Designers wanted.

If you are interested in participating in a GREAT Holiday Blog Train and getting to know other wonderful designers in a comfortable private forum, then join us over at the ADSD Forum and sign up to design a portion of the "Holidays at Home" blog train. This train will be HUGE. I am sure you have seen some of our other collaborations, such as the "Popsicle Paradise", "Backyard Playground" and many more.

If you like freebies then you will be in HEAVEN when you see this. We have added a new twist to this collab - We are NOT using one basic color scheme. The Holidays mean something different for everyone and we are all designing with the idea of that in mind, so no matter what Holiday you celebrate - there is SURE to be something here for you. Be ready because December 1st the train leaves the station.

Halloween was so FUN

Here are a couple pics of me and the Family on Halloween.

The ADSDesigners have another blog train colab.
This one is called After Dusk.
I was happy to have time to make a few things, and my portion is coming soon.

Unfortunately - I am a slacker. I have had so much going on, and I really HATE to let you all down so I promise to have it up very soon. My Son has been sick ,we went out of town at the last minute, I feel like I have been in a whirlwind. SO SORRY! Please don't hate me and check back soon, but in the meantime, snatch up these other great goodies!

Follow the links below to snatch up the rest of the colab.

abyscraps by Sheila
Adele of Blind Sight Designs
Anne at Creative Dreams
Arvita's at Elam's Flights Of Fancy
Beckmoore
Becky
Brooke at Ahhh Scrap
by God's design
Carolyn at Digi Cyber Scraps
CharmeDivaScrapz
Chiara at Creative Digital Scraps
Cindi @ vanjo designs
Cyndi, Wetfish Designs
Deanna at Flower Scraps
Deb AKA The ScrappinCop
Debbie at Digital Keepsakes
Diana at Sass n Scrap Designs
Erika {aka PinkuPixie}
Florrie
jeanniebs designs
Julia at BeaconScrap
Julie aka Bits 'N' Bobs
Kathy Goldstein at The Scrap Loft
KittenScraps
Lady V dZine
Lei at Fairydustprincess-magicmaker
Lindas Dream Designs
Lois at ScrappinwithLadye
Lori at ScripityScrapDesigns
Lynn at Heavenly Crafts
lynnirene
Mags at MagsGraphics
Manda at Disaster In Designs
Marie at EmCee Scraps
melanie aka sweetasmel
Michelle @ Michelles-Angels
Michelle @ My Digital Fun Place
Missty @ Misstykal Designs
Monica at Random Inspirations
Nicole at Digi-Designs by Nicole
Oase
RachNess
Scraping with Jen
ScrappyShannon
Shabby Tagger
Shel at Shel Belle Scraps
Stacy at Kalo Designs
Sticky Kisses Scraps
Teri At Teris-Thing-O-My-Jigs
TerresaS
Wendi at Willow Grace Designs
WillowRaven at Purple Dragonfly Creations

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS Halloween today and a GREAT weekend. Will have LOTS of fun pics to post after the weekend.
Have a SAFE and FUN Halloween.

Yesterday was not a GREAT day for me, so let's hope today is better.

Bug did OK today when I dropped him off at school- not great - he cried a little when I was leaving. He pooped in his pants THREE times yesterday at school. Must have been all that corn he ate the night before. he he he. Today is his Biggest Goal Ever - Do not poop in his pants. I hope he can do it. I may call the director to speak with her about what we can do to stop this problem. He does not do this at home, only at school. I don't know.

Yesterday he had his very first School picture day. I hope they come out good. It was weird to not be there for it - since WE usually take him. lol . I can't wait to see them, and his CLASS group shot. HOW FUN!

He slept "pretty" good last night - until his pull-up leaked - then he woke up crying - I thought he was just crying until I tried to lay him back down and he said "Nooooo it's WET". His pull-up was completely DRY so it must have leaked out the side or something. He had to sleep on the couch after that. Fortunately though - his little mattress pad thing worked GREAT - the mattress was not wet at all.

Last night Scott gave us some money to go the grocery store - because I did not have a thing to make for Dylan's lunch today - and Dylan asked him if he could buy some "Cupcakes" to make. Daddy said of course.....so off to the store we went in search of goodies to make the perfect Halloween Cupcake. Unfortunately - they did not have ONE Halloween cupcake decorating item. We ended up with the standard silver cupcake liners, and he picked out a PINK strawberry cake mix. I could not convince him to get something like chocolate. he says "NO - I LOVE PINK!!!". ha ha ha...Ok - these are HIS cupcakes so whatever he wants - then he picked chocolate frosting, and we bought orange sugar crystals, and brown sprinkles, and some mini marshmallows. He was such a big helper. He poured the water into the bowl, he poured all the oil into the mix and did not spill a drop, he helped me crack the eggs. He even helped me stir up the mix - which - let me tell you made my arm SO tired, and he was stirring then had to stop to say "Mommy - My arm is sleeping"...Ahh ha ha ha ha. I told him he needs to tell Daddy to get Mommy a MIXER for Christmas....lol Once the cupcakes came out of the oven and cooled for a bit - he did not make it to the decorating stage and immediately devoured a plain pink cupcake with a BOWL of mini marshmallows that I had set out to decorate the cupcakes with. We had a great time, and I took plenty of pictures of course.

One of the WONDERFUL advantages of being on Pamela Gibson’s creative Team is not only the fact that I get to work with such GREAT kits ALL THE TIME, but also the fact that she let’s me GIVE my layouts away to YOU! So really it is a Win, Win, Win situation. In this case a quadruple win – since it is a charity kit.

I get to work with a great kit = You get a free quick page =
The Charity makes money = Pamela get’s promotion

YAYYYYY!!! We all win. I love it! So without further ado (sp?), I present you the QP I made using her adorable new kit called Peachy Keen that she and Jan Crowley worked together to create for the Songbird Ave Charity Kit.

DOWNLOAD

All proceeds from this kit go to The Animal Haven – a no kill shelter. Isn’t that wonderful? A great cause, a great kit, and a great FREEBIE….lol

Check out this wonderful kit over at Songbird Avenue
and be sure to check out the rest of Pamela's kits over at Polka Dot Potato

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Oh My GOODNESS this is absolutely GORGEOUS - You have got to see this woman's talents. Beauty on every page. Look at this gorgeous gown she has created. You MUST see for yourself her wonderful creations.

Next Season's Dancing with the Stars

I don't know where this originated, but got it from an email from one of my co-workers and it just cracked me up....lol

FREEBIE QP

Imagine my excitement when I was approached by friend and fellow designer Joy of Share Joy Designs to create a quick page using her fabulous new kit "Let's Hear It For The Boys". This kit is so much fun and perfect for scrapping both the little guys and big guys in your life.


Hop on over to her blog to get the QP I made and for more information on how to purchase this adorable kit.

Missing You

Dylan's cousins moved all the way to Texas so we made this little greeting for them. We miss them so much!

Make a Smilebox greeting

SUCCESS
Dylan slept SOOOOOOO good last night. He slept from about 9:15 until 6:15 this morning and did not wake up ONCE. I am so happy and so proud of him. He didn't want to get out of bed this morning when he woke up either. He wanted me to lay in his bed and cuddle...lol - then when I dropped him off at school he was not even trying to get me to stay - he just ran off to play with his friends. I am once happy Momma!

When I picked him up from school yesterday, Miss Maria said he was SUCH a good boy yesterday. He did what he was supposed to - he interacted with other kids, and he PLAYED. He didn't just pull something out and then move on to the next thing. She was so happy with his behavior yesterday. He didn't poop in his pants ALL day but had an accident about five minutes before I picked him up. They were on the playground and one of the kids bumped his head - so Miss Maria took him in to get an ice pack, and the other teacher could not leave the kids so he pooped his pant. SO CLOSE. He said his goal today is NO POOPING IN HIS BIG BOY PANTS. I hope he can do it. He KNOWS when he has to go and he doesn't do that at home, so I think he is acting out or trying to get the teachers attentions to himself. He is so used to being with my Mom only and no other kids. It will get better.

HALLELUJA (insert music here)

We finally got around to getting Dylan his Big Boy TWIN bed on Saturday. We all piled into Scott's truck and took a drive out to West Covina to Sit and Sleep. Dylan LOVED 'testing" them all out. His favorite's were the ones that tilt up and down like a hospital bed...lol He LOVED those. We picked one out that he seemed to like and then paid for it. They would deliver it on Sunday. I got home and set to work on cleaning and re-arranging Bugs room. Whew - what a task. I am the QUEEN of rearranging a bedroom without taking everything out. I got it all rearranged and hung up some pictures I had been meaning to put up for a while now. I removed the shelves from the wall above where his new bed will go and will be relocating them to another wall for safety reasons of course. I also hung a little toy hammock in one corner to hold some of his Webkinz and other stuffed animals. I worked my BUTT off. I was in there for hours. Dylan seems really pleased with it though. I am happy with the results myself, but I must admit he has WAYYYYYYY too much stuff. There was no way I could prune it down while he was there though, he would have had a fit...

Sunday the big boy bed was delivered and I made it up with his brand new Lightning McQueen sheets that Grandpa Ron sent him last Christmas and some new fluffy pillows. All comfy and cozy. I put a little step stool for him to climb up on, a night light next to his bed, and a lamp on his little drawer thing next to his bed so we can read when he goes night night. He LOVES it....He loves the fact that Mommy can actually lay on his bed and read to him now without the mattress falling through like it did in his Race Car Bed....and now for the very BEST part. He slept last night in his OWN bed from 9:15pm to 4:45am at which time he woke up for like two minutes asking for a drink. I told him I would be right back and when I got back - he was back asleep and slept until I had to PRY him out of bed at 6:45am. I HOPE THIS LASTS. He said he LOVES his new bed and that it is so comfy. He is so funny - I woke up and took him in to go potty and when he was done he said "I want to go sleep" and went back in his room and crawled back in bed. YAYYYYYYYYY I don't want to get my hopes up - but I am praying this will be just the thing to get my Son on the road to GREAT sleeping habits. I got such wonderful sleep myself, that I am MORE tired this morning than I usually am. I am SO PROUD of my big boy and I hope and pray he keeps this up.

This morning he was in a pleasant mood and ready to go to school. He told me all about how he was NOT going to cry today, he was going to be a GOOD boy and listen to his teacher. We had a very nice morning. I told him how proud I am of him for sleeping in his big boy bed, and how happy that makes me and that my heart was singing....he likes it when my heart sings...lol - I took him to school and Miss Michelle was not around, so we had a hard morning. He did not want to let me leave. Miss Vanessa had to step in and take over the situation. He was really looking forward to seeing Michelle and telling her all about his new bed. He has really grown attached to her. I don't know what the poor guy will do when she goes on Maternity leave.

Friday when I picked him up from school I found out all kinds of lovely things the little rat fink had been up to. Pushing kids, pulling girls hair, spilling the kids milk, breaking the crayons in half, coloring all over the table, pooping in his pants, I don't even want to know what else. He promised to be a good boy today - I hope so. Scott and I both had a serious talk with him about his behavior and explained that we do not hit other kids, and we NEVER put our hands on a girl. Maybe the bad sleeping habits affect his behavior. I don't know.

I am praying for a good day for my Bug.

Here are a few photos of Dylan in his newly arranged room, and his new big boy bed.

ALMOST DONE...

Compilation, originally uploaded by Stokes Family Photography.

With my first PRINTED layouts.
I made these layouts in succession to print and frame and plan to continue to do one using the same template each year.